Fish sale problem resurfaces in Vasco; vendors agitated

14 Nov 201706:12am IST

14 Nov 201706:12am IST

Report byTeam Herald

VASCO: The Traditional fish vendors from Vasco fish market on Monday requested the Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) to immediately take action against the migrant fish vendors who have been selling fish along the road in the town and also against shops and stalls illegally selling fish at wholesale rate at Khariwado, besides people selling fish on vehicles.

VASCO: The Traditional fish vendors from Vasco fish market on Monday requested the Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) to immediately take action against the migrant fish vendors who have been selling fish along the road in the town and also against shops and stalls illegally selling fish at wholesale rate at Khariwado, besides people selling fish on vehicles.

They claimed due to such illegal operations fish vendors from Vasco fish market have been facing a reduction in business, besides other hardships, as customers are not coming to the fish market.

It may be recalled that the rivalry between the fish market vendors and migrant vendors (Lamanis) in Vasco has been going on for last one year. Both groups have even clashed on few occasions.

On Monday, a group of 50-odd traditional fish vendors from Vasco fish market confronted stall operators who were selling fish at wholesale rate near KTC shuttle service.

Aggrieved fishermen even confronted few migrant fish vendors for hampering their business. They even claimed that despite of their repeated complaints MMC has been acting as mute spectators.

“We had petitioned MMC to initiate action against the illegal sale of fish in Vasco on several occasions in past. Today migrant fish vendors illegally sell fish on the roadsides, and then there are wholesale fish stalls at Khariwado that have expanded their business,” Association President Carridade Pereira said.

And there are others who have been selling fish along the road or at junctions using their vehicles. When fish is available at every nook and corner of the town and even supplied door-to-door, why will people come to the fish market, she said, adding that vendors were unable to recover the amount invested in purchasing fish and they have been encountering losses.

Annually we have been paying Rs 8 lakhs as Sopo tax to MMC, but if people are allowed to sell fish all over the town then how we are supposed to generate ‘Sopo tax’ amount and how do we all fish vendors survive if no customers comes to fish market, she said, adding that they have demanded that MMC should immediately stop such illegal sale of fish in Vasco or else they would protest.